Central Grand Restaurant — Restaurant in Calgary

I never thought I would give a dim sum restaurant in Alberta five stars because... well, it's Alberta. Although not a province known for its dim sum (or any type of Asian food for that matter), Grand Central manages to serve quality dim sum in the Land of Meat & Potatoes.

However, the patrons of Central Grand aren't the meat & potatoes crowd, rather they are the true dim sum goers who know what quality dim sum should be. In other words, they are Chinese! This alone gives credibility to Grand Central: the best Chinese food is where the Chinese eat, the best Indian food is where the Indians eat, etc.

However, the real credibility of this restaurant is given by its food and the consistency of its quality over the years. The shrimp dumplings are steamed to perfection: the shrimp is tender and juicy; the wrap is perfectly sticky. The egg in the egg tarts is bright yellow and its freshness gives a crispy crust. The barbeque pork buns have such an amazingly soft bun that it rivals restaurants in Vancouver (yes, the mecca of dim sum).

Finally, the service and attention to detail complete the amazing dining experience. You don't go to a Chinese restaurant for its service, but you'll find it here at Grand Central. The wait staff are unlike other Chinese restaurants who are attentive to your table. Empty dishes are cleared immediately, extra napkins are ready when you spill soy sauce on your pants, servers will fetch you dishes if you miss the cart, and takeout containers are offered automatically without needing to ask (invariably whenever eating dim sum).

It's one of the few dim sum places that still do the traditional push carts, which is how dim sum should be served. "Dim sum" literally translated is "touch of the heart" which is the premise of dim sum: as soon as you're seated, you're treated to ready-made food on carts pushed right up to your table so that you can enjoy to your heart's delight. It's meant to be glutinous - you're an emperor who doesn't order & wait, you just point. Grand Central provides this concept with its deliciousness, freshness, and...

Alright, Chinese Asian mini mall; consists of a market, stationery store and other miscellaneous shops all bunched into this 2 level building. Just like any typical Cantonese seafood restaurant, Central Grand serves dim sum in the day and changes to an a la carte situation in the evening for dinner. Located on the upper level of this mall, just like the building itself - the space needs a total facelift. Looking beyond the dreaded and dated exterior and the equally eyesoring mess of the interior, food was also a letdown. Overly salty, and greasy so sum it up, says something when I don’t come out of a meal with even one picture. The one positive is that they do have a few more unique dim sum items that I typically don’t see anywhere else. (More squid and duck feet options if you're into that) Service was mediocre, constantly had to wave someone down to get a refill for our tea and water. They were quick to take away empty plates and the carts were coming consistently in a timely manner as well. All the dishes that were also coming out were hot and fresh too. Prices here compared to our usual dim sum spot is slightly cheaper but with the food barely meeting expectations, I’d say it isn’t...

The best traditional Chinese restaurant experience so far (within Calgary). Service is great and efficient as any chinese restaurant usually is. The food here - from dim sum (cart style ordering) to the feast meals were all excellent. No aftertastes, no "thirsty" feeling after and everything comes out piping hot and fresh. Large portions and the quality , quantity and cost all align together on it.

This establishment has been here for a long time and recognized by many celebs and former politicians (as shown in the many photos upon entering). Reservations are much needed for large group settings but usually as a table of 2-4 , it is ok to just walk in.

You will always get leftovers to take home with the portion sizing here when it comes to dinner meals. They provide "homestyle" chinese soup to begin and end with oranges + red bean dessert complements of the restaurant to end.

When you finish your meal, you pay your bill at the front where the cashier is. Haven't had a bad experience with any food items here so far, so I recommend trying everything.

Haven't had the experience ordering take out yet - seems with every attempt, they've always been too busy to process it. Better to just...